There are numerous well known sliding door systems for motor vehicles. Generally, these designs include a plurality of tracks formed either on the vehicle body or on the door, in which complementary support members are slidably disposed to allow the door to move between open and closed positions.
Previous designs have been proposed in which one or more tracks are disposed on an interior surface of the sliding door, and a support member that is pivotally connected to the vehicle body and is both pivotally and slidably connected to the tracks. To move the door from a closed position to an open position, the support member first pivots the door with respect to the vehicle body, then the tracks of the door slide with respect to the support member until the door is slid away from the door opening. Generally, in these designs, the tracks are visible from the interior of the vehicle when the door is closed.